


He's Only Human, After All

by ObliqueOptimism



Series: Witch Boy Klaus [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, BAMF Klaus Hargreeves, Gen, M/M, Not Beta Read, Original Characters - Freeform, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, Unreliable Narrator, Witch Boy Klaus, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23885341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObliqueOptimism/pseuds/ObliqueOptimism
Summary: Klaus was magic, that much was clear whenever anyone looked at him. It was something more than one person had come to terms with, when dealing with the witch.Or a five times other people had to deal with witch boy Klaus.
Relationships: Dave/Klaus Hargreeves
Series: Witch Boy Klaus [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721392
Comments: 63
Kudos: 485





	1. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

**Author's Note:**

> more witch boy! for anyone who hasn't read the first of witch boy you maybe want to, and if you are reading this because its part of my five times series, this isn't as light hearted as those are. 
> 
> anyway! this chapter is set before the funeral
> 
> sorry for how short this chapter is
> 
> enjoy!

Amelia didn’t usually shop there. She had been having a girls day out and going to all the smaller shops -- locally owned and all that. They’d giggled when they went into what was clearly one of those _New Age shops_. The smell of incense was thick and lovely, the lighting the perfect level of dim, and the man working there--

Well there was _something_ about him. Not just the way he looked, which was gorgeous, or his outfits, which were stunning. But in his gaze. It was as if he knew more than you, _and that was okay_. Like it was his job to be the keeper of this knowledge. As if he’d help protect you from the wonders of the world. 

He seemed _magical._

She felt silly for thinking it, but he didn’t seem human. 

Other.

Witchy.

Not that she believed in all that. Not a great amount anyway. Sure she read her horoscope and giggled when it was right, she felt safer when she was under all of her covers at night, and she’d once watched a video about a ghost that still gave her nightmares.

So she and the girls went into the shop, some ended up buying fun nick nacks, a new plant, a very pretty tarot deck. Not that Alice was into tarot, but she was very much into art and the deck she went home with was very stylized and appeared hand drawn.

Amelia wondered if the guy working there had made it.

He had made the necklace he pressed into her hand before she left.

She didn’t want the necklace, but it was warm in her hand, and his eyes locked on hers, “Take this. Free of charge.” He had smiled. He had a brilliant smile. “It's for protection, to keep you safe,” he had whispered. 

She’d worn it. 

It was very pretty.

That had been six hours ago.

Amelia hadn’t realized she’d need protection so soon.

But she was being cornered and they wanted her money and they had a weapon.

Thank God (thank the necklace?) before much more than a threat could happen the vigilante appeared.

Everyone knew it was one of the Umbrella kids, all grown up. The knife one, Amelia didn’t remember his name. But word had gotten around about him. She hadn’t put much thought into him saving people, she usually wasn’t out this late, she’d never need protection before.

The necklace felt warm on her chest.

“Are you okay?” he asked, holding out a hand to her, helping her to her feet.

She nodded, “Thank you! Thank you for saving me.” Her hand went and wrapped around the necklace, “Is there anything I can do to thank you?”

He started to shake his head, “No, I-- wait. Is that an _amulet_?” His eyes were locked on her necklace.

“He said it would protect me,” Amelia whispered. “Guess it worked, huh?” She then paused, realizing that it sounded like she was claiming the necklace saved her, not him. But before she could explain he nodded.

“Guess it did.” His hand reached out and paused, opening and closing a few times. As if he wanted to touch it. Amelia looked at his face, and sure the mask covered part of it, but unlike when he was a kid, she could see his eyes. 

He looked sad.

A look of longing at the necklace. _Amulet._

Amelia took it off and placed it around his neck. He had stopped moving, seemingly frozen. She knew what she was doing was _right_. “Let him protect you now.”

He then reached up and wrapped a hand around the end of the necklace, _“Thank you.”_

As she went home that night, the vigilante told her he’d talk to the police, just go home and rest, she thought about how he had thanked her. _He_ had thanked _her_. After he saved her--

He had to know the guy who made the necklace--

The amulet.

Maybe she’d find her way back to the store later, thank him for the protection. Maybe get another amulet. 

Maybe

Maybe magic was real.


	2. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> set during chapter three of the main story (vietnam chapter)
> 
> hope y'all like it

There were a few types of mines you had to look out for. Some went off instantly, you only knew your friend stepped on one because he was no longer by your side. Some were a trip wire attached to something, a bomb, a grenade, doesn’t matter what it's attached to, only that you get tangled in an invisible line and then it's too late. The last one was a pressure mine. You stand on it, it goes _’click’_ and then you know you’re done for. For however long you stand there, you’ll be safe. You can say goodbye to your squad, but once you change the pressure on the mine, move your foot a bit or even take your foot off completely--

There was a _’click’_.

“Everyone get back! And watch where you step!” Klaus said, looking down at his foot.

Dave knew if his heart was still in his chest it would have stopped beating. This beautiful, magical man that Dave loved stepped on a landmine. He knew that Klaus had also done the heart ritual on himself, hell there was more of a scar on Klaus than on Dave, but they weren’t sure _where_ Klaus’s heart was, let alone if he could survive something like this.

No one could survive something like this. He stepped forward, “No, Klaus--”

Klaus shook his head, “Dave, _please_. We can’t risk you either.” He then looked beyond Dave and gave a nod. 

Jamie and Copper grabbed one arm each and pulled him back, but Dave fought. He wouldn’t lose his heart without a fight. There had to be something, something magical to help. The wild magic that liked Klaus so well or some sort of spell. If he needed ingredients they could fetch them for Klaus, anything, just _anything_

Anything but letting Klaus die. 

They had to fight, had to find a way to save him. 

“No! I won’t leave you!” Dave yelled, Jamie and Cooper doing their job of pulling him back-- away from his heart. He struggled harder. He had to be by Klaus’s side. He couldn’t just _leave_ him--

“You have to,” Klaus said. He looked almost at peace, the wind rushed to greet him. Dave hoped that was the wild magic doing something to help, anything, _please_. “But don’t worry, _your heart will be safe._ ”

He wasn’t sure if Klaus meant Dave’s literal heart, protected by some spells, or if he meant Klaus, _his heart_. 

As soon as Klaus had appeared by Dave’s cot, it was almost as if Dave was under his spell. Not that he thought Klaus cast a spell on him, but Dave saw how special Klaus was. There was this otherworldly presence about him. For a short amount of time, Dave didn’t understand it, but only a few hours after exchanging names he found out Klaus was a witch.

Dave had never put much thought into the supernatural. There had been a lady in his hometown who the kids called a witch, but he always thought she was a lonely older woman, not a witch. He’d heard that her fiance had died in the war and she’d never been the same since.

Would Dave ever be the same after losing his heart?

As the boys pulled him away, Dave saw Klaus say something, but he couldn’t hear it.

And then

Klaus lifted his foot

And was

gone

Dave felt numb.

He fell in his friend’s grasp, as if a puppet with his strings cut.

There was no way he could come back from that. The ritual was made hundreds of years ago, maybe thousands. No one had to worry about _fucking_ landmines. But his heart was gone now, ripped from him. 

A small part of Dave held out hope, _maybe_ , he was magical after all--

But no

Dave looked down and he had small blood droplets on him.

He didn’t want to look anymore, didn’t want to see--

It wasn’t the first person Dave had seen get taken by a landmine, he knew what the bodies were like, the lack of bodies--

Time _passed_.

Dave found himself running on autopilot, just getting through the days. 

Anyone who hadn’t already figured out how special Klaus was to Dave had to have found out by the way he was acting after his heart’s passing. There was no denying it, without Klaus by his side, the world lacked the magic and wonder he’d grown to love.

“C’mon, Katz,” Sarge said, tugging Dave to his feet. “We’re getting you back in the grove of things. I’ve let you mourn long enough. Let’s go on patrol.”

Dave got up. While he knew that just over two weeks was not long enough to mourn your heart dying, he also knew he was still in Vietnam and that amount of time was a rarity. Patrol could be good for him, slightly different than the days _since_ \--

(Maybe he was still alive? If only he had Klaus’s heart and could check to see it still beating like his was.)

Sarge tried to give the best pep talk he could while they were on patrol. Dave was touched that he did that, even though it was a bit of a mess and involved a lot of cut off sentences. 

Dave felt a little better, coming back from patrol that day. As he neared the camp, the wind was picking up, as if pushing him towards it. He was reminded of the few times Klaus’s wild magic showed its power through wind. 

He’d hoped that between the wild magic as well as Klaus’s own that he would--

As soon as he entered camp, the ones not on patrol all started talking at once. A few to Sarge, but most were calling out his name, saying things about--

“What about Klaus?” Dave asked, hearing his name again and again.

Klaus was back.

Klaus was alive.

Klaus was in their tent.

_Careful, Katz! He’s a zombie now! He’ll eat your brains!_

Dave ran to the tent, throwing open the flap, he was stunned to see _Klaus_.

His heart, standing there, whole and alive.

“ _Klaus_ ,” Dave whispered, quickly making his way over to him.

“ _Dave_ ,” Klaus greeted as Dave wrapped his arms around Klaus.

He’d thought he’d lost him, he didn’t think his magic could bring him back from not having a body. But Klaus was back, in his arms, _alive_. Sitting down next to Klaus, Dave realized they were both crying. “I thought-- I thought I’d lost my heart forever.”

“Going to take more than that to keep me from you,” Klaus smiled.

Wiping tears from his eyes, Dave got a good look at Klaus.

He was really back. This wasn’t a dream, it couldn’t be. He’d had many dreams of Klaus coming back and none were like this, none were _real_. They’d always had a dream-like quality to them. 

And then he saw them, 

the scars.

There were _hundreds_ , zig-zagging along Klaus’s skin. Pencil thin and a light silver to them, tracing his skin like a spider’s web. He reached out, hand as gentle as he could he started tracing some of the scars. He hadn’t seen them right away, possibly too focused on the fact that _Klaus was back_ or maybe in the dimly lit tent he couldn’t see them until he was closer. 

In a moment Dave realized that the scars were from where Klaus had come apart.

Had he pieced himself together?

_Fuck_.

He’d seen his heart torn to bits and now, _somehow_ , he was back in his arms. “Klaus. I can’t-- You are beyond special. If I had fallen in love with anyone else, if you were anyone else, I’d have lost you. I thought I had. We don’t know where your heart is and we didn’t know if the ritual worked with the worst weapons and you had-- We saw you-- You were dead.” 

Klaus took Dave’s hand and put it to his wrist, so Dave could feel his heartbeat, “Still strong.”

“Yes you are,” Dave held him close.

He never wanted to let go.

**Author's Note:**

> obliqueoptimism @ tumblr


End file.
